After a seemingly endless back-and-forth between the legal team for Christine Blasey Ford—the woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party in high school (charges he has denied)—and the Senate Judiciary Committee, negotiations crept forward on Saturday, with both sides agreeing that a hearing would take place on Thursday, one day later than the committee’s initial proposal. “Despite actual threats to her safety and her life, Dr. Ford believes it is important for senators to hear directly from her about the sexual assault committed against her,” Ford’s lawyer said in a statement, adding that some “important procedural and logistical issues remain unresolved.”

Indeed, negotiations are far from over. Reportedly at issue, among other things, is who will question Ford. Senators likely want to avoid the optics that unfolded during the Anita Hill hearings of the 1990s, and have therefore pushed for outside counsel to question Ford in their stead. Ford’s side has pushed back against this suggestion. Chuck Grassley has reportedly set a 2:30 P.M. deadline to reach a deal—failing that, he will once again have to choose whether to move forward with a confirmation vote or to give Ford more time to deliberate. Even as the two sides have deliberated, three potential witnesses whom Ford placed at the party decades ago have each said in statements to the committee that they have no recollection of either the party or events that transpired there, meaning that they won’t be able to corroborate (or deny) Ford’s account, even if subpoenaed.

For the G.O.P., the risks of Ford’s testimony are obvious. According to Axios’s Jonathan Swan, Republicans are “edgy” over the prospect, worried that Ford, a clinical psychology professor at California’s Palo Alto University, will strike a chord with voters—particularly college-educated women, who have largely turned away from the party. Beyond the confirmation hearings at hand, the G.O.P. is teetering on a steep precipice ahead of the midterms: lean too far left, and they could anger their base; too far right, and they could further alienate women voters, who are poised to play a crucial role in midterms.

Meanwhile, White House aides, speaking anonymously, said they’re prepping Kavanaugh by peppering him with questions on sexual assault, as well as more invasive questions around his drinking habits and sexual history, The Washington Post reports. The goal is to discredit Ford without disparaging her testimony, and unequivocally condemn sexual assault—an attempt to exonerate Kavanaugh without alienating women. At times, Kavanaugh has reportedly grown “incredibly frustrated” with the stories circulating about his personal life, but has made no move to give up his nomination, two people close to him told the Post.